Christening Cake - Decoration and Assembly

This past week I have been assembling the Christening cake, and when working on a large cake I always make sure that I give myself as much time as possible to ensure that the finished item never looks rushed.

On Monday night I baked the lemon drizzle cake, and on Tuesday I covered the cake, added the white stripes and put the ribbon around the cake board and the cake itself. I was very impressed with how well the double sided sticky take worked on the cake board, and the ribbon looked fantastically flat and smooth all the way around, which gave the cake a really professional finish. My template for the stripes was also a success as all of the stripes were equal in size and then trimmed to fit once they had been applied using the sugar glue, which gave a very neat edge to the top of the cake.

Tip: Last time I tried to poke through the greaseproof paper with a cocktail stick to mark on where everything should go but this did leave some holes in the wrong places. This time I used an edible pen to mark on the placement underneath the paper, which could easily be covered up with the icing stripes.

Usually I would continue the icing of the cake board down over the sides, however as I usually use ribbon to neaten the edge, I decided not to do this. I used small pieces of double sided sticky tape to attach the ribbon in place, peeling them off as I went round and smoothing the ribbon down, and this worked very well.

On Thursday, all that I had left to do was to add the decoration that I had worked on the weekend before. By this point, everything including the bible had dried sufficiently which makes it a lot easier to work with. I stuck the buttons to the side of the cake using the sugar glue, placed the letters, checked the spelling (A very important part!) and then stuck these down, and then finally added the Bible to the top. I had a few buttons left over so I decided to stick a few to the top, giving a scattered design which I think tied the top and bottom of the cake together. 

Placing the Buttons: Originally on the design, the buttons were going to be on one level all the way around the cake sitting half on the ribbon. However once I added the stripes to the cake, I realised that they pushed the ribbon away from the surface of the cake, leaving a gap. I then decided to stick two buttons to each white stripe just above the ribbon, and then one white button in the centre of them on the blue section. By the time I had finished, this gave the cake a very pretty slightly higgledy-piggledy design, which I thought looked very cute for a little boys cake.

Tip: As you go around, go back and check that your buttons are at the correct height as gravity will work its magic on the side of a cake! if they have slipped, gently push them back to the desired position until the glue is sticky enough to hold them in place.

Placing the letters: Even though I know how to spell (...!), I always place my letters to check the positioning and layout before I go ahead and stick them permanently. Sugar glue is fantastic, but it does take a little while to dry and with coloured icing such as blue, it does tend to take on the colour, so try and be as neat as possible to make sure that the colour doesn't show up on other lighter colours. 

The finished cake in the box: I was really pleased with the final appearance of the cake, and it fitted perfectly in the size of box ordered as I hadn't added any extra width with the icing over the side of the board. I though the colours all worked really well together, tying in the scheme of the occasion and the design. The bible was the finishing touch, and I think the little details such as the pearls and the gold page edges worked really well to make sure that the celebration cake was that little bit more special.

Christening cake - Sugarcraft Decorations

This weekend I started on the decorations for the Christening cake as well as covering the cake board.  It wasn't until I amassed all of the equipment I would need for the day that I realised exactly how much I had collected over the last couple of years! However, I'm sure that anyone who is into cake making and decorating will tell you, the right equipment and tools for the job is essential.

Tip: Get all of the equipment out that you will need before you start, then you won't have to stop and look for something right when you're at a crucial stage

The first task of the day was to cover the cake board, and as I am edging it with ribbon, I decided to trim the icing right to the edge. Once the icing has hardened, you can then attach small pieces of double-sided sticky tape to the board so you can attach the ribbon. I have tried using icing and edible tylose glue to do this, but it has always shown through, so I have come to the conclusion that tape is indeed the best way of doing this.

Tip: If your icing has a few imperfections in it, do not despair. Don't forget that your cake will sit on top of this so choose the best bit for display and cover the bit that you're not so proud of with the cake!

Next came the letters for the cake. When doing this I always make two of each letter, just in case one breaks or doesn't come out as well as the other. I also kneaded some tylose powder into my sugar paste so that it would dry quicker and harder to make it easier to work with when I assemble the cake.

The third task was the part I was most looking forward to, the icing Bible! The first step was the white icing for the pages and the cross. I cut out the templates, rolled out the icing and then cut around them. I stacked the pages to make sure that they were the required height for the book, then stuck them together using the edible glue.

Mini Kilner jars are the perfect size to make your tylo glue in

Next was the cover in the green icing. I cut around my template and then positioned the pages to check the fit. Once I was happy I painted the cover with the glue and positioned it around the pages. The cross was now nearly dry, so I painted the back with glue and stuck it to the front. Next was adding the pearls around the edge (which is always my favourite bit!) so I painted glue around parts of the cross and gently rolled the pearls into place, pressing them gently into the icing to make sure that they stuck. 

I had also done a bit of research on bibles, particularly small ones, and noticed that many of them had gold edges to the pages, so I decided to mix up some gold shimmer into a paste and paint it onto the sides of the pages, which has really lifted the whole design.

The last step was to make the buttons to go around the ribbon at the base of the cake. I bought a Button silicone mould earlier in the year and I have been looking for an excuse to use it for ages! I followed the instructions carefully, as they said dust with icing sugar, press the sugar paste in, trim the excess and then flex the mould a couple of times and they should fall out. However when I came to remove the buttons from the mould, it did not go well. In fact I ended up with little mangled pieces of icing that nobody would want to take a picture of! So, I reverted to plan B. Using two different circle plunger cutters and a cocktail stick, I made over 100 little shirt buttons, which I think are perfect for a little boys cake. It took a little while but I'm really pleased with the outcome.

However, after a little research on t'internet regarding the icing mould, I have persevered. I added more tylose powder to the icing and then paid extra attention to pushing the icing into all of the mould. Once I had done that, (ignoring the instructions here!) I used a knife to trim off the excess icing, adding a little more to the buttons if they looked a little empty. I then put the whole mould into a plastic bag and put it in the freezer for 45 minutes. After that, I have been able to peel the icing out of the mould and put them on the foam to dry. This seems to be the best way to do it, so if you need a lot of buttons for something you are making, I would suggest you leave yourself a lot of time, and have something else to do at the same time! Once they have dried completely, put them in an airtight box and then keep until you need them.

If you want to have a go at making your own pretty vintage buttons, you can buy the icing mould from Lakeland. If you find a better and quicker way of doing it, please let me know!

Christening Cake - Sketches and Planning

My most recent commission has been a Christening Cake for a little boy in August. As with all my commissions, I've never done a Christening cake before and took a lot of inspiration from the Customer to ensure the design was exactly what they wanted, which included a simple modern design but with a nod towards the Christening style.

I reassessed the design a couple of times, however we settled on a lovely blue, green and white theme including buttons, stripes and an icing Bible, something I'm really looking forward to creating!

Sketches and designs

The chosen design 

As the first step with any cake, I ordered all of the necessary equipment, (I used the Cake Craft Shop to order my supplies from, they have a fantastic range and some very helpful tutorials and calculations) and then drew out all of the necessary templates that I would need. I had to drag up a lot of my GCSE maths knowledge (which did make my brains hurt I will admit!) to work out the equal distribution of stripes around the cake, which was something I learnt previously from my first tiered cake. Measurements and scale is very important when planning decoration, so make sure that you schedule in plenty of time for this important step, planning makes cake making all so much easier!

Stripe plan

Greaseproof paper templates with all of the equipment required!

I drew out all of my plans and templates onto greaseproof paper, making sure that I had all of the measurements of the cake to hand so I could make sure that everything was to scale. Then when you are ready to start creating, simply cut out your templates and use them to cut around with a knife on your icing.

Tip: Try to keep your templates as flat as possible by keeping them under a book overnight before you need them. Curly greaseproof paper off a roll is a very practical idea but not when it keeps curling up as you're trying to cut a straight line!

A Weekend of Baking...Baked raspberry and lemon cheesecake

As a present for friends birthday, I decided to make a baked lemon and raspberry cheesecake, perfect for the lovely summer we have had already this year. When I showed the recipe to my mum, she looked so put out that I wasn't making one for her, I decided to make two, one to give away and one to keep. I also haven't made many cheesecakes before but as I have been very good recently, I was looking forward to trying one out to see how it would taste!

The first thing I have found that you have to get over with cheesecakes is the amount of full fat dairy that you have to use! However, I have never been one to shy away from butter, so it was a definite yes from me! The second is when you remove it from the oven, unlike a cake, a practically liquid appearance is normal! With the recipe I used, you cook the cake for 45 minutes at 120C, then turn the oven off and leave it for an hour. After that take it out of the oven and leave it to cool further, then one it is completely cool, put it in the fridge. Throughout all these stages of cooling, the cheesecake will start to firm up from the outside inwards and at the end of its chilling time it will resemble a cheesecake you will recognise! You need time to make a cheesecake. I would say if you wanted to serve this as a dessert on Saturday evening, make it either on Thursday night or Friday morning to make sure that you give enough time to set completely.

The Base Top Tip: When you have mixed your crushed digestives with the melted butter, start to press it into the base with the back of a spoon. When you have got it mostly flat, use a masher to compact the crumbs even more, get right into the sides and make it completely flat. This will help to keep it in one piece when you slice it to serve.

When you fold in the raspberries, squish them slightly against the side of the bowl so that they start to release their colour into the mixture.

Once you are ready to serve your cheesecake, remove from the loose bottomed tin and remove the paper. You may want to leave the paper on the bottom on the plate as it's not like you can turn it over to peel it off! Just make sure that you don't serve it to your guests. Sprinkle over the reserved Raspberries and then dust liberally with icing sugar and you will have a fabulously light, summery dessert bursting with juicy berries.

Tip: I found that this cheesecake leaked, a lot! I would suggest serving it in in one helping as nobody wants a leaky cheesecake sitting around! Despite that it does taste delicious and if you want to have a go, this link will take you to the BBC Good Food website.

Dunlem Mill - Candy Rose

Whilst in Dunelm Mill yesterday shopping for an ironing board and iron for The Nest (I know, I know how to live!) I stumbled across their Candy Rose range that I hadn't seen before. They had some really gorgeous pieces for the kitchen, home and also the bathroom, but I was particularly drawn to all of the gorgeous colours and patterns on the pieces for the kitchen and also at how reasonably priced everything was. Have a look at some of my favourite pieces below, and next time you're there, I would definitely recommend going to have a look.

Blue Batter Jug - £9.99

Blue wavy rectangular roaster tray - £4.99

Large Mixing bowl - £9.99

Set of 2 Hanging tags - £3.99

(No, I don't know what you'd do with them either but they're so cute!)

Rectangular Roaster - £6.99

Ceramic Rolling Pin - £14.99